Love In Silence
by BadKitty17
Summary: (TW in later chapters) Two deaf mutes meet on the streets of Madrid, and form a relationship that proves that actions speak louder than words. SpUK/UKSpain.
1. Chapter 1

**Hetalia is owned by Hidekaz Himaruya, this fanfiction is owned by me.**

The sun shone brightly on the busy streets of Madrid, casting a golden glow over the crowds of people hustling-and-bustling their way to wherever it was they were going. Cars and buses growled angrily as they mixed with mundane chatter, making some sort of angry chorus that could be heard by all...All that is, except for Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo, and others like him.

"Excuse me, uh, seÑor," a woman called out to Antonio, as she and her husband chased him down a particularly busy road.

No response.

"Excuse me!" she tried again, elevating her voice.

Still nothing. Not even the slightest twitch. He simply continued walking briskly, just as he was doing before.

"EXCUSE ME!" her husband shouted, grabbing the man they'd been following and spinning him violently around to face them. He made no sound at the sudden, forced contact, just a mildly surprised face.

He stared quizzically at the fuming couple, unsure of why they HAD to have his attention. But regardless, he mouthed, "What do you want from me?" as he made a series of hand-gestures.

The couple simply shot a puzzled glance back at him, unsure of what to make of his reaction.

"Yeah, yeah, you got a nice lil' secret handshake there, bravo," the woman spat. "We need directions! Can you tell us where the nearest café is?"

"Continue down the street and turn left," Antonio mouthed, accompanying his supposed words with hand gestures, just like before.

"Could you speak up?" her husband enquired, "We can't hear a word you're saying!"

Antonio huffed in annoyance as geared himself up to explain his condition for the millionth time, to a pair of total strangers.

"I can't, I'm a mute," he mouthed incredibly slowly, hoping that they'd get it.

"Louder!" the woman demanded, "We need you to speak LOUDER!"

"I...am...a...deaf...mute...I...can't...speak!" Antonio tried to explain, punctuating the melodramatic movements of his lips with sharp little jabs, aimed at his face.

"STOP MUCKING AROUND WITH US, YOU LITTLE PRICK!" the woman's husband bellowed, stamping his feet indignantly, like a fussy toddler, "SPEAK LOUDER, RIGHT NOW!"

Unfortunately for him, his tirade had got the attention of a few bystanders, who made a ring around the couple and Antonio as they whipped out their phones.

"For the last time, I can't do that!" Antonio did his best to tell them, reverting to signing and mouthing his words.

"RIGHT, THAT'S IT! MY WIFE AND I DIDN'T GO ON HOLIDAY JUST SO THAT WE COULD BE MESSED AROUND BY RUDE LITTLE SHITS LIKE YOU!" the woman's husband ranted, preparing to throw a punch in Antonio's direction.

Antonio back-stepped quickly, hoping to avoid a painful blow to his skull. But it seemed that he wasn't quite fast enough...

It was just his luck that some plucky fellow grabbed the man that was about to hit him, and threw him to the ground, before he whipped out a notepad, scrawled something down, ripped out the page and handed it to the man he'd just taken down.

 _Why don't you leave him the hell alone?!_ It read.

The man lay on the ground, visibly shaken as he read the note, for just a minute, before he quickly said, "C'mon, Dawnie, let's leave mime-man and his mate alone before they try anything else with us," to his wife, and the two ran away.

The man who had saved Antonio was a porcelain-skinned Brit, with huge, bushy eyebrows, and shaggy blonde hair, that looked like it had never been near a brush.

Said Brit quickly wrote something else down in his notebook, before ripping out the page and handing it to Antonio.

 _Are you OK?_

Antonio nodded gratefully once he'd read the note, before he turned back to the Brit and signed, "Yeah, thanks for helping me out," in response to the note.

A relieved look appeared on the Brit's face as he put away his notebook. "Good. I'm glad you're not hurt, Mr"—

"Antonio," he signed quickly.

The other man gave Antonio a small smile as he signed, "Nice to meet you. I'm Arthur."

 **Against my better judgement, I am starting another multi-chapter fic. I hope you liked the start of this, and though I will try to update quickly, it's gonna be hard because of my work schedule...See ya when I update!**

 **Kitty x**


	2. Chapter 2

Antonio's face lit up, like one of the brilliant white street lamps that illuminated Madrid at night, in response to Arthur being able to sign to him. He could barely contain himself as he excitedly made the gestures necessary to say, "It's great to finally meet someone who understands sign language!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, in a sort of mock-disapproval as he signed back, "Yeah, it'd be hard for me to communicate with anyone like me if I didn't. I'm deaf and mute. Always have been."

"I'm the same," Antonio responded, the excited glimmer in his jade eyes fading quickly as he thought about the situation they shared. Not being able to hear or speak meant that interacting with people in real life was near impossible, since they couldn't understand his signs or lip-read...So Antonio HAD to make sure he left a good impression on Arthur, the first potential, real-life friend he'd had in ages!

Eager to continue talking—well, not talking, but signing—to Antonio, Arthur paused for just a minute, as he thought over the idea that'd just popped into his head. It was a bit of a sudden ask, but perhaps it would be best to get out of the street...

"Why don't we continue this somewhere else? Perhaps over coffee?" he proposed nervously.

Antonio nodded eagerly, before he added the appropriate signage for "That'd be great! I'll pay for both of us, since I do owe you for helping me out!"

The two began walking together, carefully surveying their surroundings as they looked for where they should go...Definitely not the tourist-trap café at the end of the street, lest they run into that nasty couple again!

After what seemed like forever, Antonio lightly tugged on Arthur's arm, and motioned for him to look into the window of a quaint little place, with a twee fascia and a large display of beautiful pastries and cakes jostling for attention, boasting their thick icing, their shiny glazes, and their flaky, golden crusts.

"We're _definitely_ going in here," Arthur signed.

Strong, bitter coffee mixed with the scent of sweet vanilla in the air, hitting the pair instantly as they took their seats in the café.

"So, do you know many other deaf people?" Arthur began awkwardly.

"Yeah, but not in real life," Antonio responded. "Just my online friends, Francis and Gilbert."

Arthur gingerly took a sip of his coffee, before he signed, "At least you have online friends. I don't have anyone that I can talk to, not even some of my own family!"

Antonio shot him an apologetic look, as he didn't want to ask his companion any invasive questions about his personal life...

"My younger brother, Alfred can't lip read, and he says it's easier to just give me notes than sign to me. My older brothers can lip read, but can't sign. And I haven't been able to make any friends," Arthur explained.

Antonio snorted and smiled sympathetically as he signed back, "I've got similar problems. My older brother, Afonso can lip read, and he learned sign for me, but my younger brothers don't have the first clue about how to communicate with me!"

Arthur mirrored his companion's smile, adding, "So, what do you do?" to the conversation, to make it casual again.

"I'm the sous chef at a restaurant, about ten minutes from here," Antonio signed, "You?"

"I'm a model," the other male signed.

Arthur looked up at the clock, his eyes widening in alarm as a sudden realisation came to him. "I need to get back to work," he signed quickly, pulling out his notebook again, scrawling down another note before he handed it to Antonio, and he dashed out of the café.

A gentle smile graced Antonio's face as he read the note Arthur had given him.

 _Message me anytime, I'd love to see you again_

 _Arthur Kirkland_

His mobile number was scrawled in chicken-scratch handwriting at the bottom of the page.

 _I will,_ Antonio promised, popping the note in his pocket. He finally had an actual, real-life friend...

 **A.N. Did you know that there are three different kinds of sign language used in Spain? Yep, there's not just a Spanish sign language. Catalonia has its own sign language, as does Valencia...As for when the next update will be...I'm not sure. Whenever I'm not busy, I guess. Till next chapter!**

 **Kitty x**


	3. Chapter 3

It had been about a week since Antonio's first meeting with Arthur, and since then, they'd been texting on and off day in, day out. They'd only been making idle conversation so far; simply asking and answering insignificant questions like "where'd you come from?" and "What do your parents do?"

And tonight, they'd finally managed to find time to see each other again, agreeing that they'd meet in a bar near the city centre.

After running a brush through his chaotic curls for the billionth time, Antonio was finally satisfied that he was fit to be seen in public, and he headed out to meet Arthur with a bit of a spring in his step.

He found Arthur sitting alone at a table, sharply dressed, and already surrounded by a few empty shot glasses, stained with some beads of remaining liquor. _He must have come straight from work..._

"Hey," Arthur signed, when he caught sight of Antonio looking in his direction.

Antonio waved to him cheerily as he bounded to the table, placing himself directly beside his companion.

"Fancy some shots?" Arthur mouthed, holding an empty glass out to Antonio as he gave him a wintry grin.

"Yeah, ok," Antonio signed, adding a warm, gentle smile...A smile that Arthur was suddenly finding quite adorable.

Ignoring the sudden urge to keep staring at Antonio, Arthur tore his eyes away from the young Spaniard and went to buy them a few rounds of shots, grateful that the bartender could lip-read...

Arthur returned to Antonio momentarily, carrying an array of glasses whose contents varied in colour.

"Are you sure we can handle all of this?" Antonio signed, as the shots were set on their table.

"Sure we can," Arthur assured, signing confidently, "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I bought everything that looked good!"

Antonio shrugged and reached for a sweet-smelling, bright yellow shot, downing it quickly as the thought of how to start the conversation. In real life, he didn't have the liberty of spending ages to think of what to sign to Arthur...

"So, how was work today?" Arthur signed, as he finished his own drink.

Well that saved him the trouble. "It was really hectic, like it always is," he signed casually.

"I'll bet it is. Where is it you work again?" Arthur enquired, before he reached for another shot. "Some really fancy place, you told me. Someplace that had three Michelin stars, was it?"

"Four, actually," Antonio corrected him, "La Vida's the name of the restaurant. It's one of the most popular places to eat around here."

Arthur sucked down a few more murky shots before Antonio could sign, "How was your day?"

Feeling slightly buzzed, he responded with, "Nothing but photoshoots for me. I've been posing and getting dressed up like a doll all day!"

 _So that's why he's all dressed up,_ Antonio thought to himself. Arthur did look pretty good in the outfit he had on, even if the fact he was somewhat tipsy took away from his appearance a bit.

The two exchanged meaningless conversation, just as they had been doing via text for the rest of the night. But they found that they enjoyed doing it much more, in the presence of each other. It felt like their conversation meant more, when they were really with each other...Even if Arthur had managed to get himself totally smashed between signing to Antonio, who was considerably more mindful of liquor consumption.

"Arthur? I think you should ease up on the alcohol now," Antonio signed, staring the drunken Brit straight in the eyes.

"You can't tell me, the great nation of England what to do!" Arthur mouthed angrily, his sentence broken by hiccups. He swayed comically as he downed the remainder of his drink, before slamming the glass hard on the table.

"Yeah, and I'm the living embodiment of Spain, let's get you away from the booze," Antonio gestured, rolling his eyes in disgust.

He pulled his intoxicated companion to his feet, quickly slinging one of Arthur's arms around his shoulders as he decided to head for his apartment. Well, he had no idea where the hell Arthur was staying, and he wasn't about to conduct a citywide search for the place with a lumbering oaf of a man, who was falling all over himself and mouthing nonsense.

Plus, he didn't want to leave Arthur alone in his inebriated state...

It was an awkward walk/stagger home for Antonio, as he manoeuvred through the roads—being deaf meant that he had to be especially wary of the potentially lethal machines known as cars—and streets lit with blinding white bulbs and flashy signs. All while keeping Arthur under control.

It was just Antonio's luck that when he got to his apartment complex, the lifts were out of order...

The journey up the thirteen flights of stairs leading to Antonio's apartment took ages, given that Arthur seemed to have forgotten how to walk in a straight line by that point, much to Antonio's chagrin, why'd he agreed to be friends with this guy again?

Antonio hastily locked and bolted the door before he settled Arthur gently on the sofa, scrawling him a quick note just as he headed to his bedroom...

 **And that's chapter three done! Expect chapter four soon...ish, or whenever I have the time to continue this. Bye!**

 **Kitty x**


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur's fingers twitched sharply as his nails grazed against smooth, cold leather, and he forced his heavy eyelids apart.

He did his best to ignore the jackhammering going on in his head as he dragged himself to his feet, so he could get a good look at just _where the fuck_ he'd managed to end up after last night.

Last night, last night, doing shots with Antonio...Shit. Well, there went his week-long friendship with the Spaniard. There was no way Antonio was ever going to want to talk to him again, not after he'd gotten smashed and probably made a complete ass of himself.

Then was not the time for beating himself up about it, though, as he still had yet to figure out where he was...

His attention was first drawn to a chic glass coffee table, with a vase of crisp, fresh carnations on it, and a notebook with a few pages that'd been hastily torn out. His eyes widened as he went over a page, still in the little notebook that had something messily scribbled, and addressed to him on it:

 _Arthur,_

 _You got super drunk last night, so I brought you back to my place_

 _Antonio_

So this was Antonio's home! Perhaps Arthur could keep seeing him after all. If Antonio cared enough to not let him pass out in an alleyway somewhere, maybe he still liked the Brit...

Arthur thought that he should get to writing an apology note and leaving, sharpish. He'd probably caused Antonio enough trouble as it was, and he didn't want to overstay his welcome. He'd message him later, or something, perhaps, take him somewhere to thank him for making sure he was taken care of.

He grabbed a stray pen and went to flip through the notebook, to begin his written apology...But he was quickly distracted by a few pages of disturbing scribbles:

 _He can't hurt me anymore_

 _He can't hurt me anymore_

 _He can't hurt me anymore_

 _He can't hurt me anymore_

What the...

 _No more pain no more fear_

 _No more pain no more fear_

 _No more pain no more fear_

 _No more pain no more fear_

What were these notes...?

 _Best not look at them anymore,_ Arthur thought to himself. Forget note writing, he'd just have to hope that a long, apologetic text message would cut it. Now, to get out of here...

Just as soon as he got out of the apartment and into the hallway, he caught sight of someone, no, not just someone, Antonio—slumped against the wall, tears streaming from his wide, glassy eyes. And on closer inspection, it looked like he was he was hyperventilating too, his chest expanding and contracting rapidly as he did his best to keep himself upright. Truth be told, Arthur had never seen anyone looking quite so terrified in all his life.

Arthur dashed over to Antonio, anxiously mouthing "What's the matter?!" at he knelt in front of him.

Nothing, for about thirty seconds. And then Antonio managed to get himself under control just long enough to mouth:

"He's coming to get me."

Arthur looked away from Antonio, scanning the lavishly decorated hallway quickly.

"There's nobody else here," he informed Antonio, "It's just you and me!"

"You don't get it," Antonio mouthed, "He's a madman! He's coming to get me!"

And with that, Antonio began hyperventilating again, his eyes widening further in sheer terror as his chest kept time—Expand, contract, expand, contract.

Arthur scanned the hallway yet again. It was still totally empty.

"Get me away from here," Antonio begged, "Or he'll see me!"

At this point, Arthur had no choice but to comply. This situation seemed rather odd to him, who was it that Antonio was so afraid of? But he had to had to find some way to make Antonio feel safe, and get him to calm down. Maybe just doing whatever he said would help...

He gently scooped Antonio up into his arms, deciding that taking him home would be the best bet.

Arthur bolted the door shut, just in case someone really was coming to get Antonio, and carried him to the same sofa he'd woken on that morning, taking a minute to make sure he was comfortable before he settled next to him. Antonio weaved his arms around Arthur, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Holding Antonio gently by the waist, the only thing Arthur could think to do was mouth soothing words at him. He held Antonio for about an hour, until the Spaniard either fell asleep, or passed out from fear, though with the state he was in, it was likely to be the latter, choosing words like, "It's going to be alright", "No one's coming to get you", and "I'll protect you".

After the whole ordeal was over, there was but one question lingering in Arthur's mind. The notes, Antonio's sudden panic attack..."Who was 'he', and what had he done to Antonio...?


	5. Chapter 5

_Today was going to be a normal day._

Work the kitchen, then go home. Nice and easy. No panic attacks, no threatening messages from _him,_ no sudden flashbacks of his past. Antonio was determined to simply get through work like any other person.

He stood with his back to the mirror as he covered the angry red blotches and raised, pink welts on his olive skin with a long sleeved shirt, wincing slightly as the thin fabric made contact with the tenderest areas of his upper back.

He next reached for a silver packet, popping out two tiny pills. He swallowed them quickly, shuddering at the sour, powdery taste that they left in his mouth, before he turned to the mirror and checked himself over. No obvious marks showed.

Now he was _completely ok,_ and there was _absolutely nothing wrong._

Antonio signed, _Buenos dias_ to everyone who looked in his direction when he came into the kitchen, deciding that he'd best get his head down and focus on preparing for morning service. As long as he occupied himself with making sure that every loaf of bread and sweet pastry was baked to perfection, he wouldn't be bombarded with any worries about _him_...Right?

And so he let himself be intoxicated by the smells of sweet cinnamon and buttery pastry and strong coffee, wishing to just drown his fears in the task at hand. Maybe fry them in some hot oil, and let them be eaten by an unsuspecting customer. Whatever. As long as they were kept at bay for the time being.

As soon as work was over, Antonio went and checked his phone. He hadn't been able to use the thing all day, given that he'd been keeping himself so busy, so he wondered how many messages he had...

 _Are you feeling alright today?_

 _I'm here if you need to vent_

 _Antonio?! If you're there, please text back_

Fifty or so worried messages, all from Arthur. Looked like he was worried that Antonio had had another panic attack.

 _Hey I'm fine, I've just been busy with work is all,_ Antonio hurriedly typed.

It wasn't long before a new message popped up onto his screen.

 _Glad you're ok. I'm just across the street from your restaurant, want me to meet you there and walk you home?_

Antonio's eyes flashed a fluorescent green as he texted back, _I'd love that :)._ Hopefully today, he could spend some time with Arthur without freaking out about _him..._

The man Arthur met by the entrance of La Vida that evening bore no resemblance, none whatsoever to the trembling creature he'd held in his arms a mere few days ago. Those round, eternally shiny green eyes, cheeks adorably tinted with a little scarlet, that sweet smile...How could Antonio look so happy tonight after being completely and utterly terrified, convinced that someone was out to get him?

Arthur gently offered Antonio his hand, smiling warmly at him as he took the offer, and the two knotted their fingers tightly together as they began the walk to Antonio's apartment.

Everything seemed fine, at first. That was until... _he_ started appearing everywhere. Everyone on the streets became an army of clones of _him._ Antonio tightened his grip on Arthur's hand, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to hold on to the image of his blond friend, refusing to let his mind turn him into _that monster._

Arthur quickly let get of his hand and got in front of Antonio, deciding to embrace him tightly as he noticed him becoming scared again.

Antonio shyly opened his eyes to look up at the person who'd embraced him, only to find that it was... _him_.

 _His_ eyes had such an uncharacteristic look of concern in them, as _he_ mouthed, "What's the matter now?"

Well, that was it. Antonio broke free from Arthur with ease and darted down the street, paying no attention to his surroundings at all, as Arthur chased after him, cursing his inability to speak.

Finally far away from the embrace of _him,_ Antonio paused just outside his apartment to catch his breath...And the sight of a note left by _him._

 _You think that popping pills and going around town with your little blond friend will make you forget about me? Think again. You belong to me, and I'll be here to take you back very soon_

Arthur finally caught up to Antonio, desperate to help.

Antonio saw _him_ at the end of the hallway, mouthing, _Come on, tell me what's wrong._ He dashed inside his apartment, bolting the door before he swallowed another two tablets.

Meanwhile, Arthur kept slipping pieces of paper under the door, begging for Antonio to let him in. He only wanted to help, so why was Antonio freaking out so much...?


	6. Chapter 6

Behind the door, Antonio took shuddering breaths as he felt himself mellow out, grateful that he'd managed to calm himself down just in the nick of time. He was safe from _him,_ for the time being. No more notes were popping under the door, so it looked like _he_ wasn't going to try and take him back today...

A new note suddenly flew under the door, which Antonio came very close to crumpling up and throwing away...But it didn't look like it was written in _his_ handwriting; it was much too sloppy, too hastily done.

 _Antonio, you don't need to be scared. It's only me, Arthur! Please let me in, I just want to make sure you're alright._

He stared blankly at the scribbled words, unsure of what to make of them. Rationally, he knew that Arthur was the man he'd bolted away from, without so much as a simple explanation of why, not _him,_ but somehow his mind had managed to warp everyone on those streets, man, woman, child, everyone, into _him._ He didn't care if they weren't really _him,_ just the sight of _his_ monstrous figure made Antonio afraid for his life.

And even if it was just Arthur on the other side of the door, he couldn't risk letting his brain make a monster out of him too. He'd just message Arthur later, just to assure him that he was fine.

Another note swished under the door just a moment later, again, from Arthur:

 _I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I don't know what's got you so frightened this time, but I want to help. Please let me._

Antonio knew Arthur meant well, but who would he see if he opened the door? Arthur, or _him?_ Could he trust his own mind not to let his kind friend become _that monster_ again?

He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes as he opened the door, before freezing in his spot. Slender arms wrapped gently around his lithe figure, holding him protectively.

Bravely forcing his eyes open, Antonio let himself analyse the features of the face staring gently down at him one at a time. The eyes were a dark, but shiny green, and quite big, not small and brown, like _his._ Skin, smooth and white, like porcelain, hair, blond, shaggy, untamed, yes, this was most definitely Arthur, and not _him,_ that he was being held by.

"What scared you back there?" Arthur mouthed slowly.

Tell Arthur that he was seeing his ex-husband everywhere? Impossible. He wasn't about to drag someone he'd only known for a few weeks into his mess. His horrible, life-ruining, miserable mess. Even if Arthur was one of the few people who could communicate with Antonio, he didn't want to put anyone else in danger of _him._

"I just felt a bit panicky, that's all," Antonio mouthed quickly.

"Is that really it?" Arthur responded, "You went pale when you looked up at me, like you'd seen a ghost!"

Antonio hesitantly moved his lips to say, "Yeah, really. I panicked a bit, but I'm ok now."

The deep concern present on Arthur's face let Antonio know that he wasn't fooling anyone.

"If there's anything I can do for you..." Arthur mouthed shyly, tightening his grip on the other man.

Actually, there was something Antonio wanted from him. In the midst of the full blown panic attack he'd had the week before, he remembered how Arthur had held him gently, letting him rest his head on his chest as he mouthed soothing words to him. That had felt rather...nice.

"If you wouldn't mind..." Antonio began, "Could you...Hold me like you did last week?"

Arthur nodded with a somewhat stifled enthusiasm, before he picked Antonio up, carrying him bridal style into the apartment and settling on the sofa with him.

As Antonio wrapped his arms around Arthur's upper body, smiling contentedly, Arthur ruffled his brunet locks gently, making him squirm a bit.

"Are you comfortable?" Arthur mouthed, when Antonio was fully settled.

Antonio nodded quickly, earning him a smile from Arthur. Being here, laid gently in Arthur's arms...Somehow, it just felt right.

Perhaps he could get used to being held like this.


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur and Antonio both happened to have the day off on Sunday, so Antonio had invited his friend over for lunch that afternoon.

Antonio hadn't planned on making the meal an extravagant affair, but the facts that he couldn't decide what to make, and the wide range of delicious ingredients on the market that day were going cheap meant that he ended up buying whatever he thought looked good. A leg of serrano ham here, a few threads of saffron there...And some shiny tomatoes...And perhaps some clams too, _no, wait, should I go for the squid instead? Screw_ _it, let's get both!_

That kind of thinking had left Antonio with a very light wallet, and several heavy bags he'd had to haul home. Now he stood in his rather small kitchen, with his spoils laid neatly about the worktop, as he pondered on what he should do with everything he'd bought, given that he now had enough to make a veritable feast...Perhaps he'd do just that! Prepare a delicious range of dishes and impress Arthur with his culinary skills, wait, impress Arthur? _What am I thinking?_

The last dish was just about ready when Antonio's phone vibrated sharply against his thigh, alerting him of Arthur's arrival. He hurried to the door to let his friend in, ushering him proudly to the table.

Arthur's eyes widened in complete delight as he scanned the dishes Antonio had prepared; a brick-red garlic soup, on top of which sat a soft white egg, fish and clams, tinted delicately with their accompanying wine sauce, breaded beef fillets with a wonderfully crisp, golden crust, and slices of melon wrapped in neat ribbons of serrano ham all jostled for attention, their powerful scents permeating through the entire apartment.

"Wow...You made all of this?" Arthur signed, tearing his eyes away from the display.

His companion cheekily signed, "Every last morsel," as he threw a playful grin in Arthur's direction. "Shall we?"

Arthur nodded affirmatively and sat beside Antonio, deciding on trying the soup first. It was wonderfully flavoured, tart, but fragrant and overall absolutely delicious. He could've polished off the entire dish if it weren't for the fact he didn't want to look like a pig in front of Antonio...

Despite being thoroughly stuffed, and not being used to eating this much so early in the day, Arthur insisted on helping Antonio do the dishes, carefully carrying the beautifully decorated pottery out to the kitchen, and resisting the urge to ogle Antonio and his broad hips, which swung in tandem with his footsteps.

"How was it?" Antonio mouthed, as he shoved his forearms into soapy water.

No words could ever do Antonio's cooking justice, let alone signs. "That was incredible. Your cooking is truly something special," Arthur mouthed, joining Antonio in the growing mass of bubbles in the sink.

Their hands touched, just for a moment under the water, prompting both to pause and gaze at each other in embarrassment for a few seconds. Then Antonio playfully flicked a splash of water at Arthur, who, in response, dabbed him on the nose with a few suds. Antonio gave his friend a mocking glare before he scooped up a handful of water, and dumped it on Arthur's head, prompting the now very wet Brit to turn on the tap, full blast, and jam it with his thumb, soaking the young Spaniard's white shirt until it turned translucent.

He barely had time to gasp at how beautiful Antonio was beneath that shirt; light olive skin, shining delicately under the wet cotton, before his companion bowled him over, leaving Arthur pinned to the ground.

"You won't get away with that!" Arthur mouthed teasingly, rolling them both over so that he was now on top of Antonio.

What happened next just felt...natural.

Arthur's eyes drifted shut as he locked lips with Antonio, waiting for him to start kissing back before he slipped his tongue inside, tasting all of the wonderful flavours from lunch in one go, again in his friend's mouth. The taste of their kiss was something rather special, something that no chef could ever hope to recreate.

That magical moment, shared just with Arthur stirred up emotions Antonio never thought he'd feel again.

Neither of them noticed the front door clattering to the ground beside them as they deepened their kiss...


	8. Chapter 8

Antonio's eyes suddenly jerked open as he felt two meaty arms brush across his abdomen, putting a barrier between him and Arthur. He barely had time to register Arthur's bulging eyes and fallen face before those meaty arms plucked Arthur off of him and plopped him down on the ground right next to Antonio.

The monster that'd ruined Antonio's little moment with Arthur grabbed Antonio by the collar and dragged him to his feet, looking his second victim straight in the face. _Wait a second..._

Piggy brown slits for eyes...

Teeth bared in hatred, like a mad dog's...

Sweat pouring down its face...

It was... _him._ This wasn't some nightmare, or some horrible hallucination conjured up by Antonio's mind, _he_ was really there.

Antonio thrashed madly about in _his_ grasp, desperate to break free from the beast somehow, as Arthur got to his feet and attempted to pull the monster off of his friend.

"Antonio," The creature growled, "You're coming back home with me, right now!"

Antonio frantically shook his head as he continues his struggle, attempting to pry his attacker's fingers one by one off of his shirt.

"How _dare_ you let your little friend touch you like that?! Have you forgotten who owns you? Who gave you your lovely home and your wonderful marriage?!" the beast spat.

Arthur continued to try and free Antonio, desperately wishing he could speak right now so he could give this demonic creature a piece of his mind. _Antonio's not some object for you to claim as your own!_ He would've said.

"Wonderful, Javier?! You made my life an absolute misery!" Antonio mouthed.

"I'm the best damn thing that ever happened to you, and you know it," Javier mouthed mockingly, "Really, you should be grateful that I want to make you mine again!"

"You..." Antonio mouthed slowly, tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "It's because of you that I have scars all over my body! It's because of you that I can barely sleep at night because I'm afraid I'll have nightmares about what you did to me! It's because of you that I have to take phenelzine to keep myself sane!"

Spurred on by the fears that'd all suddenly been awakened at once, Antonio struggled harder against Javier, using every last ounce of his strength to try and get away.

"Poor wittle fucked-up-in-the-head baby," Javier teased, "Don't worry. Your husband Javier, who loves you very much is gonna"—

Arthur finally managed to grab Javier's arms and yank him off of Antonio, holding him still as Antonio backed away, free at last.

"Get out of here! Now!" Antonio signed furiously, as Javier tried to lunge at him like a starving wolf, eyeing a chunk of meat.

Arthur lead Javier outside the apartment, shoving him down the hallway before he barricaded the entrance of the apartment, deciding not to bother with popping the door back on its hinges for now, as Antonio dropped to his knees, in a state of complete shock.

"Who the bloody hell was that?!" Arthur signed, turning to face his friend.

"My ex-husband," Antonio signed shakily.

Arthur ran to Antonio's side, gently placing his hands on his shoulders before he mouthed, "Do you need to talk to me about him?"

Antonio blinks back a flood of tears, nodding.


	9. Chapter 9

Antonio met Javier the summer after he graduated, falling for him almost instantly. He seemed like such a great guy at first, treating Antonio to romantic outings, telling him how much he loved him, every single day, Javier even went to the trouble of learning sign language, just for Antonio's sake.

But all of that changed on the day that Antonio and Javier got married.

The silvery peal of wedding bells, and the ring placed on his finger would forever remind Antonio that he belonged to Javier now, there was no going back...

And no way out.

Javier took to getting completely shitfaced and beating Antonio senseless whenever he felt like it, sometimes beating his husband when he was sober just because he was mad, and he needed to take his anger out on _something_.

Of course, when they were out in public, Javier would go back to the way he was before, chaste kisses, sweet words, it was only behind closed doors that he dared reveal what kind of monster he really was.

A swift punch in the gut, and a couple of cigarette burns one night, an assault the next, there really was no real pattern to the punishment Javier dished out; it was simply a matter of how he felt at the time. But he was always very careful about it, never injuring Antonio in places that couldn't be covered up somehow, he always chose areas he thought nobody would ever see.

But one night, Javier, too mad to care if anyone would notice or not beat Antonio until his skin was all covered with fresh purple dapples, screaming insults at his deaf husband as punch after punch connected with tender olive skin.

When Javier left that night, presumably to get hammered again, Antonio took that as his opportunity to get away from his home/prison. He practically crawled down the street, too weak from his injuries even to limp to safety, eventually passing out somewhere unfamiliar.

When he regained consciousness, he was in a sterile room, surrounded by masked hospital staff. He could barely read their lips as they told him, "Relax, sir. You're going to be alright," just moments before a cold, sharp needle was stuck in his arm, and he was out once more.

"When I told the doctor what happened, he said..." Antonio paused for just a minute, to steady his shaking hands, before he signed, "He said that if I didn't get away from Javier, I'd be in a body bag the next time he saw me!"

Even after the divorce, life had been hell for Antonio. Years of abuse had left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he had been prescribed medication and sent to regular therapy sessions to work through his condition. On top his nightmares, anxiety and flashbacks, Javier had somehow found out where Antonio lived now, and had been threatening him via paper slips. He always said he'd get Antonio back, one way or another...

Arthur shook his head as he took in the information unable to believe the thing Antonio had endured, his reduced just to being Javier's punching bag, simply because he was unable to speak, unable to tell anyone what was going on, unable even to cry for help as he was beaten mercilessly by the man he once believed loved him.

His eyes became wide and glassy as he finally looked Arthur in the eye, waiting for some form of reaction.

"Come here," Arthur signed. "You've been in pain for quite some time, haven't you?" and he opened his arms to Antonio.

Gingerly taking the offer, Antonio buried his face in Arthur's chest, as slender arms were gently wrapped around him, as if to shield him from any further damage. There didn't seem to be much else he could do for Antonio at this point; he had no idea how he should go about comforting a man that'd been through something so utterly traumatising.

Hot breath mingled with salty tears, thoroughly soaking Arthur's shirt as he held Antonio, letting him cry out his pain. If Antonio could've screamed, he probably would have done.


	10. Chapter 10

Antonio inhaled deeply, before parking himself on a familiar, patent leather chair which smelled like mint and cheap air freshener, tossing a hesitant gaze at the cheery woman sat opposite him, with a notepad and pen in her hand. She put the items to one side briefly before she signed her usual greeting of, "Good morning, Antonio, how have you been this week?"

"Not great," he signed anxiously.

Her cheery expression vanished almost instantly. "I see. Care to explain why?" and she reached for her notepad and pen again.

Suppose he'd have to explain the little incident he'd had with Javier now, and the nightmares he'd suffered with after that. He hated to see his psychiatrist when he'd had a particularly bad week, not because he was afraid of her, but because he simply couldn't stand to disappoint her. Dr Braginskaya was a kindly, if a little timid Ukrainian woman, who always seemed especially happy for Antonio when he reported that he was doing alright, and genuinely sorry for him when he wasn't doing so well.

All the necessary taps, hand clasps, and twists to tell Dr Braginskaya how he'd been were made quickly, leaving her scribbling their written word translation furiously on her notepad...

B-B-B0B0B0B-BBNBB-BBBBB—B-B-B-B-B-B-B—BBBB-

"Alright, looking good Arthur, now if you'd just bring your hips to the side?" The camerawoman instructed.

Wait, what had she just said? The camerawoman had been speaking much too quickly for Arthur to lip-read the instruction. What to do, what to do...Could he mouth it, or should he sign for the camerawoman to repeat her command? No, she probably didn't know sign...

"Sorry, could you tell me again?" Arthur tried mouthing.

The camerawoman's attention was quickly drawn to another staff member, who tapped her on the shoulder and told her, "He can't hear, you'll have to speak slower so he can lip-read from you."

Her demeanour suddenly became rather apologetic as she turned back to her model. "Arthur, sweetie, I need you to go like this," and she demonstrated the pose, "OK?"

Arthur nodded and mirrored her action, rolling his eyes at how ridiculous he thought he looked in the clothes they'd made him wear. This outfit didn't suit him at all; it was clearly designed for someone with a...different build. Perhaps someone like Antonio. Yeah, he just _knew_ Antonio would look great in it. _I'll give it to Toni when I'm done shooting for the day..._

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BB-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-

 _Meet me at your place in five, I have a gift for you,_ was the first thing Antonio saw when his session was over, and he got to check his phone. So Arthur had gone and bought him a gift, out of the blue! Ah, he was going to melt, this was so romantic...

Romantic?! _What's come over me all of a sudden?!_ No, Arthur was just being friendly, that was it. Though, perhaps it would be nice if Arthur liked him... _What am I thinking?!_

Antonio dashed madly to his home, unable to calm down the sudden hammering in his chest as his cheeks grew redder with every step closer to Arthur.

He embarrassedly mouthed "thank you", as Arthur handed him a thin paper bag, taking a second to unfurl the neatly folded outfit that lay inside.

"I thought this would look good on you," Arthur signed, when he finally had his friend's attention again.

Antonio felt like he was going to boil over. "Shall I try it on?" he signed shakily, biting his lip to keep himself from grinning like a lunatic.

"Go ahead," his companion signed shyly. "I'll wait for you."

Antonio quickly took himself to the bathroom, shimmying out of his clothes with ease before he pulled on the first item in the bag; a pair of dark blue, loose-fitting jeans. Next came a high collared black shirt which had... _short sleeves._

Arthur already knew about everything Antonio had suffered, but was he going to be impressed when he saw the little pink welts and red blotches which starred and striped his arms?

He'd just have to hope for the best, as he had nothing he could cover himself with. He quickly got the rest of the ensemble on, longing for the catharsis of Arthur's thoughts.

Antonio came back into the front room and stood in front of Arthur, staying dead still as he let his friend take in every feature of his new appearance.

The jet-black shirt complimented Antonio's skin perfectly as it hung from his slender frame, giving him a soft, warm glow. A heavy belt took away from some of the looseness of the blue jeans, accentuating the broadness of the Spaniard's hips as the rest of his lower body was hidden in dark creases. Arthur had been completely wrong when he thought Antonio would simply _look good_ in these clothes. He wasn't pretty. He wasn't handsome. He was simply...Beautiful.

Lured in by the impossibly perfect creature stood before him, Arthur cupped Antonio's chin with one hand, softly mouthing, "This outfit really suits you," before he pressed a most delicate kiss on his lips, as if he were afraid to damage Antonio if he did anything else.

Another hot flush ran through Antonio's burning body, as he shyly snaked his arms around the Brit's waist. "Thank you," he mouthed back.

"No really, you're beautiful...in that outfit, I mean!" Arthur mouthed, taking his turn to go beet red.

He resorted to holding Antonio so that their faces were mere millimetres apart, this time allowing Antonio to peck him chastely on the cheek.

"You don't think my scars are"—Antonio tried mouthing, when he broke away, only to be stopped by the shock of being suddenly swept off of his feet and carried to his bedroom.

Arthur gently sat himself on the bed, allowing Antonio to shift his position so that he was laid with his head resting on his companion's chest.

"You don't mind my scars?" Antonio mouthed.

"No, not one bit," Arthur mouthed reassuringly, "You're beautiful, Antonio."

With that, Arthur tightened his grip on Antonio, and the two spent the night taking turns peppering each other with innocent kisses, and signing sweet nothings. At this point, they needed no words for their feelings for each other.

When Antonio was asked "How have you been?" by Dr Braginskaya the following week, he melted into a contented smile as he signed that he'd been great...


	11. Chapter 11

Antonio stood at the entrance of his apartment complex, running his fingers over the cold glass of his phone's screen as he grinned down at the object, his cheeks sporting a fresh red coat. The words that lay on it were simple:

 _I'll be there in five minutes_

But they left him overwhelmed with happiness and with a dizzying desire for the person who'd sent them. Antonio had told Arthur to meet him outside his apartment complex, so he could take him somewhere special.

Arthur arrived promptly, dolled up in the outfit he'd been made to wear for work that day, waving casually to Antonio as he stepped into the other man's line of sight.

"So, where are you taking me?" Arthur signed.

Antonio threw him a lascivious glare, as if to say, _how dare you,_ before he signed, "It's a surprise," and grabbed Arthur's hand.

The blond made no attempt to protest against being suddenly dragged down the road, being at the complete mercy of Antonio's hand. He simply followed the Spaniard's every footstep, and when they stopped for whatever reason, Arthur took a moment to look around. They passed several crowded areas; clusters of shops and restaurants lit up with flashy signs, flocks of people from across the globe taking silly pictures in the most tourist-y spots, hotels, bars, market places, street performers...

Next came a few narrow alleyways, and a bit of hopping quickly through the roads, and when Antonio finally stopped for the last time, motioning for Arthur to look around. Deep in the belly of the urban jungle known to the world as Madrid, there lay a wonderfully peaceful and picturesque place...A garden.

The place appeared to be empty, save for a few proud peacocks who strutted gamely about the cream paths on the ground, striped with the grey of the shadows of the trees, and huge, masterfully crafted statues and fountains. The setting yellow sun gave a gentle glimmer to sharply-trimmed grass, neat hedges, and the petals of colourful flowers that grew in little circles around the area.

"Beautiful," Arthur signed, completely in awe. When he remembered that Antonio was still stood with him, he considered adding, _but not as beautiful as you,_ but quickly decided against it. _Too cliché_ , he thought.

Antonio offered his hand to Arthur, mouthing, "Shall we?" as he smiled softly.

There was no hesitation from Arthur as he gently knotted fingers with his partner.

Squeezing Arthur's hand tightly, Antonio bit down hard on his lip, certain that his face would freeze into a smile if he performed the action again today. An evening stroll with the man who held him gently and told him he was beautiful and comforted him when memories of his painful past took over his mind...There was nothing in the world that could make him happier at that moment.

In spite of the pair passing more pretty little clusters of sunlit flowers, green grass, and various other things, Arthur found that he only wanted to look at one particular pretty thing. Antonio's sweet smiling face...

When they stumbled across a bench together, Arthur took that as the perfect opportunity to get Antonio to stop, so they could sit together. Antonio decided that he'd sit on Arthur's lap, taking both of his hands.

"Did you like your surprise?" Antonio mouthed cheekily.

'Like' was the most inappropriate word in the world for describing Arthur's feelings at that moment. "It's perfect. This is the one of the two best things I've seen in my life," he mouthed.

"Oh? And what's the other?" Antonio mouthed.

Burning passion possessed Arthur completely as he replied, "You," and began a kiss with Antonio.

It didn't take long for the brunet to kiss back, allowing Arthur to slip his tongue inside his mouth, letting him transform the chaste little gesture into something deeper.

When the need for air became too great, and he broke away from the kiss, Arthur mouthed, "I need you," to Antonio as the pair resumed their kiss once more, alabaster skin melting into olive as the two became more tightly knitted together.

When the evening was over, and the two began the trek back to Antonio's apartment, Arthur suddenly remembered what day it was.

Thursday.

He had but one week left before he had to fly back to England. Before he had to leave Antonio behind...


	12. Chapter 12

It was a blissful, rainy afternoon in Antonio's apartment, as he sat enjoying a kiss from Arthur.

Perched delicately on his boyfriend's lap, Antonio broke the kiss, gazing playfully at Arthur as he mouthed, "Do you love me?" and played with his wild blond locks.

Arthur stared intently at his lover's lips, his face twisting into a sickening grin. _"Do I love you? Of course, Antonio,"_ he mouthed dryly.

Stupid question. Antonio reached up to give Arthur another, this time much more innocent kiss than before...But now, in his place was... _No, not him, please, anyone but him!_

Javier's face was inches away from his, with a demented smile and narrowed eyes. "You're _mine,_ remember?"

And just like that, Antonio's chic apartment vanished, wide windows were replaced with dirty, cigarette-burned walls, and his marble floor became an ugly mauve carpet, littered with empty beer cans and a few wine bottles, with their contents intact. The 'lovely' home Antonio had shared with his captor.

Javier sharply rose to his feet, shoving Antonio to the ground as he chose a long-necked bottle and smashed it against the wall, leaving a dripping red splatter at the site of the blow.

Antonio knew all too well what was coming next.

He attempted to scramble to his feet, but found that he'd somehow become completely frozen, like a rather odd statue. Stuck in the strange, splayed position he'd gotten into the second he hit the ground.

"You"-slice-"worthless"-slice-"little TART!" Javier spat, viciously shredding Antonio's skin bit-by-bit.

In spite of being covered in his own blood and desperate to get away, Antonio's body still refused to move an inch, not even allowing him to mouth at this beast to stop what he was doing.

"I could do _so_ much better than you," Javier remarked, as he cast his makeshift weapon to one side, and readied his fists.

With every punch that he was given, someone new appeared in the room, muttering whatever phrases the darkest reaches of Antonio's mind could conjure up before they morphed into Javier number two, and three, and four...

"I don't know what you see in him," Afonso teased.

"If you don't want to be in a body bag when I next see you, leave Javier!" the doctor who'd come to check on Antonio the night after his worst beating commanded.

"I'll just leave and forget all about you,"...Arthur? No, he wouldn't do anything like that!

 _What am I going to see next?_

In an instant, Antonio's eyes snapped open, and he took a moment to catch his breath before he remembered where he was. Someone's cool fingers were on his forehead, gently stroking. An arm was wrapped around him, keeping him in place on a warm chest, moving slightly with every breath.

He gazed up into Arthur's face, relieved that he wouldn't have to endure another onslaught from his mind.

"Did you have one of your nightmares?"

Antonio's face was completely blank as he nodded. He'd suffered with horrible nightmares for so long, that they didn't really bother him anymore.

"It was only a dream, alright?" Arthur mouthed, cradling the other man gently to soothe him. "Javier's gone now. I won't ever let him hurt you again, Antonio. I love you."

Antonio still found it sweet of Arthur to try and comfort him, though...And being told that he would protect him was a nice touch, too...

The knowledge that he had someone now, who made him happy and took care of him and assured him that he loved him...and that it wasn't long before that someone had to leave him broke the last of Antonio's strength. He couldn't help but start to cry as he remembered earlier in the day, when Arthur had told him that he had to go back to England, eliciting a tighter hug from the Englishman.

As he held Antonio, Arthur found himself childishly wishing for a viable way he could stay here, with the man he loved. He couldn't leave Antonio, not like this...

Perhaps Arthur would have to take Antonio with him?


	13. Chapter 13

"We look forward to working with you, Mr Kirkland," a well-dressed man said warmly, "Your first photoshoot with us will begin on Monday at ten, got it?"

The blond nodded, mouthing, "I'll be early," and hot-footed his way downstairs, barely stopping to think where he was going in his hurry.

He was incredibly lucky to land a job working for some high-end designer here in Madrid, especially after cutting ties with his old modelling agency on such short notice. Choosing to stay in the city, and not go back to England was a huge thing for Arthur; now he'd have to get used to a new boss, new job, new home, even a new way of life...

But if leaving behind everything he knew meant that he could see Antonio, dear Antonio whom he'd fallen so deeply in love with every day, then it was completely worth it.

Glancing down at his phone, Arthur noticed that it was about seven, meaning that Antonio's therapy session should've been finishing up. He knew exactly where he needed to go...

-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BPB-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B

Antonio gazed up wistfully at the grey sky, hoping that maybe, he'd catch a glance of the plane taking Arthur away from him. There'd be no romantic times between him and Arthur for a long time now, no running off to pretty gardens after work, no sweet kisses here and there, no snuggling late at night...He'd just have to settle for video-calling whenever he wanted to see his boyfriend, no, whenever he needed to see him.

On the days where the memories of what Javier had done to him were too painful to bear, and during the nights where his nightmares became especially bad, he wouldn't have Arthur there to hold him and soak up his tears until he calmed down, he'd be all alone with nothing but his medication to comfort him.

Just as he gave up hope and began trudging home, he thought he saw a mad blond blur running towards him. _Probably just my mind playing tricks,_ he thought. Arthur's flight was due to leave twenty minutes ago, there was no way that was him...

The blur skidded to a halt in front of Antonio, wrapping his arms around the Spaniard before he even had time to register who it was.

"Arthur?" Antonio mouthed, when he was let go from the hug.

The blond nodded.

Antonio resorted to signs, unable to mouth his combination of shock and delight. "I thought you were going home today!"

Arthur shook his head, smiling a little as he signed, "Not anymore. I decided to get a job and stay here, because...Because I want to stay with you."

Antonio's eyes quickly filled to the brim, and he just had time to sign, "You really love me, don't you?" before the tears spilled over.

"Of course I love you," Arthur signed quickly, "You alright?"

"Don't worry," Antonio signed, "I'm just happy you're not leaving!"

Antonio melted like a chocolate drop in Arthur's embrace, smiling sweetly as the other man held him...

 **And that's the end of that story! I know, it was cheesy, and a bit cliché, but I hope you liked it anyway. I'll hopefully think of something better soon! Bye!**

 **Kitty x**


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